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The C-MOLD 98.7 general release, first shipped to customers in May 1998.
The C-MOLD 98.1 general release, first shipped to customers in November 1997.
The previous general release, C-MOLD 97.7, shipped to customers in May 1997.
Contents
Introduction Running C-MOLD Keyfiles Supported platforms Installation procedure For UNIX machine For Windows NT 4.0 and 95 machines Enhancements Support for Exceed 6 added X11 R6 run-time environment software required Problems fixed C-MOLD License Manager can be installed as a service C-MOLD Filling & Post-Filling Enhancements Negative coefficient of thermal expansion for fiber -filled materials allowed Clamp-force calculation modified in cases where incompressible mater ial model is specified Problems fixed Improved handling of cases where the input m elt temperature is less than the transition temperature C-MOLD Filling/EZ Enhancements 11 recommended ram-speed profile settings output C-MOLD Gas-Assisted Injection Molding Enhancements Improved handling of cases when the pre -set post-filling time is exceeded C-MOLD Cooling Enhancements No more overlapping cooling -channel elements Reduced CPU time required C-MOLD Coolant Flow Enhancements Improved output format of the pressure drop in a cooling manifold Problems fixed Incorrect display of coolant flow rate when a pressure drop is specified for a cooling manifold C-MOLD Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage Enhancements Layer-based Residual Stress coupled with Fiber Orientation calculation Fiber-orientation effect display available Material database changes Resin database
Mold material database Known problems in this release Windows stacking out of order
Introduction
In addition to twice-yearly general releases, our monthly incremental releases provide for timely problem corrections and the implementation of new features. When applicable, the incremental release version of a fix or enhancement is noted in the monthly summaries. For information on obtaining the latest monthly incremental release, contact your local CMOLD office. The C-MOLD Web site is also a good place to look for the latest information about our products. Most of the improvements in C -MOLD 98.7 relate to Shrinkage & Warpage simulation. The incremental enhancements introduced over the past two years are part of a long -term vision that is now coming to fruition with the release of C -MOLD 98.7. Major developments in C-MOLD 98.7 include the ability to incorporat e "fast-cooling" pvT properties for semi-crystalline materials and the ability to couple layer -based residual stress with orientation-induced thermo-mechanical properties for fiber -filled materials. Table 1 lists the enhancements to and problems fixed in this latest general release of C MOLD, and gives the incremental version of the software in which the change was introduced. TABLE 1. Summary of changes to C-MOLD products in release 98.7. C-MOLD product C-MOLD on Windows NT and Windows 95 computers Enhancement/problem fixed Support for Exceed 6 added Introduced in release 98.2 98.5 98.7 98.3 98.4
C-MOLD interactive modules X11 R6 run-time environment software on HP computers required C-MOLD License Manager on Windows NT computers C-MOLD Filling & PostFilling C-MOLD License Manager can be installed as a service Negative coefficient of therma l expansion for fiber-filled materials allowed Clamp-force calculation modified in cases where incompressible material model is specified Improved handling of cases where the input melt temperature is less than the transition temperature
98.4
11 recommended ram-speed profile settings output Improved handling of cases when the pre set post-filling time is exceeded No more overlapping cooling-channel elements Reduced CPU time required Improved output format of the pressure drop in a cooling manifold Incorrect display of coolant flow rate when a pressure drop is specified for a cooling manifold is fixed
Layer-based Residual Stress coupled with Fiber Orientation calculation Fiber orientation effect display available
98.6 98.7
Running C-MOLD
Keyfiles
As long as your Support & Update agreement is current and you are updating from a 96.7 or higher version, your existing keyfile will enable this release. If you are updating directly to the 98.7 release from a version of C -MOLD earlier than 96.7, you will need a new keyfile. If using your existing keyfile with the 98.7 release results in an Inconsistent encryption code error, contact your local C -MOLD office to obtain your new keyfile. You can check your C-MOLD license key for the record ed Support & Update expiration date. Find the line with the key for C -MOLD that looks like this:
2eac 4f4a 8ah6 8d74 23d6 28gf d373 6k93 cmold NO EXPIRY 12/01/96 15user s
The date in mm/dd/yy format is your Support & Update expiration date. To run version 98.7, this date must be after 03/31/98. If you have a question about your Support & Update agreement, please call your local C -MOLD office.
Supported platforms
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in Table 2, below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms.
TABLE 2. Hardware platform and operating system configurations supported by C MOLD 98.7. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you ru n into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is distributed in hard copy form with this C MOLD 98.7 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only on a machine with an R8000 or highe r CPU that is capable of executing MIPS IV instructions in 64 -bit mode. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer. 2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir, where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD -ROM drive. 3 DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir, where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir, where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir 4 Type cd cdrom_dir 5 For all but HP computers, type ./install , and follow the on-screen instructions. HP: type ./INSTALL.\;1
Enhancements
Problems fixed
The C-MOLD License Manager service consists of two parts. The first, cmoldlmd.exe, is the actual license manager. The second, cmlmdsrv.exe, interacts with Windows NT to run cmoldlmd in the background. You can also run cmoldlmd in the foreground, in a DOS window. It is much easier to resolve any key or license manager problems this way. 5. Before you can install the C -MOLD License Manager as a service, you must obtain and install your keyfile. (Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for details about how to do this.) 6. Once you have installed your keyfile, start cmoldlmd in a DOS window to make sure that it can run correctly and there are no problems with the keyfile: a. Open a DOS window
b. Change (cd) to the directory where C-MOLD is installed c. Run bin\cmoldlmd -cmold If the license manager starts correctly, proceed to the next step. If not, refer to the PC troubleshooting guide in Appendix C of the System Administrator Guide. 7. Once cmoldlmd runs successfully in a DOS window, you are rea dy to install it as a service: a. Open a DOS window b. Change (cd) to the directory where C-MOLD is installed c. Run cmlmdsrv -install 8. The C-MOLD License Manager is now installed as a service. It will start automaticaly the next time the the system is rebooted, or you can start it manually now: a. Open the Windows Control Panel b. Open the Services icon c. Select the C-MOLD License Manager from the list of services d. Click the START button.
Troubleshooting
o Service Specific Error 0
IfService Specific Error 0 occurs while starting the service, it means that cmoldlmd did not start correctly. When cmoldlmd runs as a service, all output is directed to a log file, cmlmdsrv.log, located in the CMOLD\bin directory. This file can be checked for an indication of what the problem is. Remember that it is much easier to troubleshoot in a DOS window. If cmoldlmd does not start, refer to the PC troubleshooting guide in Appendix C of the System Administrator Guide .
Enhancements
Problems fixed
Improved handling of cases where the input melt temperature is less than the transition temperature
If the input melt temperature is less than the material's transition temperat ure, error message 99621 is displayed, and execution stops. If the input melt temperature is less than b 5 of the pvT model, a warning message is issued, and the program continues to calculate. Note that normally, using a melt temperature near the transition temperature or b 5 does not match the physical processing conditions and indicates either a problem in the material selection or data, or the processing conditions.
C-MOLD Filling/EZ
Enhancements
conditions file, for example at 0% of stroke and 100% of stroke, only two suggested settings would be output. In response to a user requ est, the program has been changed to output 11 settings, even if only two settings are specified in the process conditions file.
Improved handling of cases when the pre -set post-filling time is exceeded
When the pre-set post-filling time is exceeded, output follows the normal short shot procedure instead of stopping immediately. This provides melt -front advancement information for review up to the time the short shot occurs.
C-MOLD Cooling
Enhancements
Figure 1. Cooling channel efficiency results from the old C-MOLD Cooling. The disconnected elements and the discontinuous results at the bends in the channel are easily seen.
Figure 2. Improved cooling channel efficiency results from the enhanced CMOLD Cooling (version 98.5 and later). The results are continuous along the entire length of the channel.
Initial solution: this is an assumption of the value of the real solution, which is used as the starting point for the iterations. How good the assumption is (how close the assumed value is to the real value) directly affects the running time required to complete the simulation. Solver: this refers to the specific iterative technique that is used, for example, the Gauss-Seidel solver, CG solver, and so on. The solver determines the convergence rate of the solution. Convergence criterion: this specifies the acceptable level of approximation allowed between iterations in solving the system of equations.
In the enhanced C-MOLD Cooling, all of these key factors have been changed. A new initial solution and a new solver are employed, which make the enhanced C MOLD Cooling run much faster t han older versions. In addition, a new convergence criterion is used. A solution is considered to be converged when the residual is small enough. In a matrix equation [A][x]=[b], the residual is defined as [R]=[A][x] -[b], which is the accuracy of the solu tion. In older versions of C-MOLD Cooling, an indirect method, other than the residual, was used as the convergence parameter. This indirect method checked the change in the solution value from one iteration to the next, and if the change was less than the convergence criterion, the solution was assumed to be converged. Sometimes
this indirect method failed to reflect the real convergence approximation. In the enhanced C-MOLD Cooling, since the storage of BEM elements has been improved, it has become possib le to use the residual directly as the convergence parameter, which eliminates a source of error that occurred in the older version.
This example clearly sho ws us why the enhanced C-MOLD Cooling runs faster. It can also be seen that in the old C -MOLD Cooling, the residual after the last iteration is much larger than the convergence parameter in the last iteration. However, in the enhanced C -MOLD Cooling, these values are the same, so the convergence parameter becomes a true measure of the solution accuracy.
Figure 3. Model representation of baffle or bubbler. It is obvious that at the entrance node, the pressure is discontinuous at the two sides of the baffle plate or bubbler plate. Therefore, an abrupt change of pressure at the entrance node should be seen i n the graphical display. In the baffle or bubbler, however, the pressure drop of entering flow and returning flow is still displayed on the element(s) from the entrance node to the free -end node. In other words, after the code change, the coolant pressure at the free-end node should be the same as the coolant pressure at the entrance node from the exit side of the baffle or bubbler. This change has no effects on results of C -MOLD Cooling simulation. Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the displays of coolant pressure before and after the code change, respectively.
Figure 4. (Click to zoom in.) Coolant pressure display before the code change.
Figure 5. (Click to zoom in.) Improved coolant pressure display after the code change.
Problems fixed
Incorrect display of coolant flow rate when a pressure drop is specified for a cooling manifold
If a pressure drop was specified for a cooling manifold, the coolant flow rate given in the text report would be zero. The calculations in the Coolant Flow and subsequent Cooling simulations were still correct, except the values were incorrectly reported. This problem has been fixed.
Layer-based Residual Stress coupled with Fiber Orientation calculation What is new
o
o o
The Fiber Orientation option for Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage simulation gives improved deformation results compared to previous versions, because the residual -stress and thermo-mechanical properties calculations have been coupled with the fiber -orientation calculation. The interface between C-MOLD Residual Stress and C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage is now layer-based, which is different from the equivalent loadings used by previous versions. The number of layers used for the Residual Stress calculation is the same as the number of layers specified for Filling & Post-Filling simulation. The molded-in residual stress after part ejection is now an optional output as requested by users, instead of in-cavity residual stress.
C-MOLD Polymer Laboratory now provides fast-cooling pvT testing for semi-crystalline materials. Shrinkage & Warpage predictions can be improved to within 10% accuracy by using the fast -cooling pvT data.
Terminology
What is in-cavity residual stress? The in-cavity residual stress refers to the internal stress accumulated during the solidification of the part inside the cavity until the temperature and pressure within the cavity drop to ambient conditions. This in -cavity residual stress is the driving force of part shrinkage and warpage after ejection. It is calculated by C MOLD Residual Stress and stored in the interface file to C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage (filename.ppt). In-cavity residual stress cannot be measured on a molded part because of the stress relaxation that occurs after ejection. What is molded-in residual stress? After part ejection, the constraints from the mold cavity are released, and the part is free to shrink and deform. After it settles to an equilibrium shape, the rem aining stress inside the part is called molded -in residual stress, or simply, residual stress. The difference between in-cavity residual stress and molded -in residual stress is whether or not the constraints imposed by the cavity on the part have been released. Molded-in residual stress can be measured on a molded part. This release of C-MOLD includes the option to output the molded-in residual stress. Why Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage ? The predicted final deformation of a part after ejection is what a use r expects a simulation to produce. The intermediate, in -cavity residual stress has no practical application for users, and therefore, it is no longer included in the C -MOLD output file. C-MOLD Residual Stress and C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage are now tightly integrated with layer-based residual stress and mechanical properties calculations; this feature is not provided with interfaces to other, general -purpose structural analysis programs. Why fast-cooling pvT data? The physical properties of semi -crystalline materials (such as PET, PBT, Nylon, etc.) depend on the degree of crystallinity. During the injection molding process, the material's crystallinity depends on several processing parameters, especially on the cooling rate. Conventional pvT testing is based on measurements at equilibrium or at a very slow cooling rate. The pvT behavior of semi -crystalline materials can be quite different under a fast cooling rate, therefore resulting in different amounts of shrinkage. C -MOLD recently developed a technique to measure and predict pvT under the fast -cooling conditions similar to an injection
molding process. It has been verified by the Polymers Department of the GM Research and Development Center (under the NIST -sponsored TED venture) that using fast-cooling pvT data in the simulation can improve the shrinkage prediction to within 10% of measured values for semi -crystalline materials. CMOLD Polymer Laboratory offers the fast -cooling pvT material testing service. Check with your resin suppliers or C -MOLD Polymer Laboratory for details.
Residual Stress and thermo -mechanical properties calculations coupled with Fiber Orientation calculation
Previous versions of C-MOLD used the thermo-mechanical properties in the flow and transverse directions for the Shrinkage & Warp age calculations. In cases where the material is fiber-reinforced, the local thermo -mechanical properties would depend on the fiber orientation. This new version of C-MOLD calculates the local thermo -mechanical properties based on predicted fiber orientation, and the local residual stress corresponds to the local thermo-mechanical properties. For fiber-reinforced materials, the Shrinkage & Warpage predictions are now based on the residual stress and thermo -mechanical properties coupled with the predicted fiber orientation. Users can add a service-loading simulation after the residual -stress calculation in order to predict part performance under service. The influence of fiber orientation and molded-in residual stress can be considered in the structural desig n of plastic parts.
for Shrinkage & Warpage prediction. In -cavity residual stress is predicted for each layer of each element. In previous versions of C -MOLD Residual Stress, a part was assumed homogeneous, which means that thermo-mechanical properties (isotropic or transversely isotropic) were assumed to be uniformly distributed. This assumption is no longer valid for fiber-filled composites; now, layer -based thermomechanical properties are calculated for e ach layer of each element and used for Shrinkage & Warpage calculation. The layer-based information is stored in filename.ppt and used as input to the final Shrinkage & Warpage simulation.
T-CODE 00614 and T-CODE 00615 have been added to the parameter file (filename.par) to control the various layer-based stress outputs. Most of these stresses are useful only to analysts. The amount of data can be large because stress data is stored for each layer of each element. These T CODEs are used by C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage module only. T CODE 00615 is used only when service loadings are defined.
00614 NONE NONE 0-4 0 no molded -in stress output 1 for Principal Residual Stress (Molded 2 3 4 for option 1 plus Max Shear Stress for option 1 plus Mises-Hencky Stress for all the stress outputs
T-CODE# Equation: Units: Range: Default Value: Option in) output Option Option Option T-CODE# Equation: Units:
Range: 0-4 Default Value: 0 no stress output for service loading and combined with service loading Option 1 for Principal Residual Stress (service)
and (molded-in + service) output Option 2 for option 1 plus Max Shear Stress Option 3 for option 1 plus Mises-Hencky Stress Option 4 for all the stress outputs
o o
The layer-based, in-cavity residual stresses and/or thermo -mechanical properties are stored in an ASCII interface file, filename.ppt, which is in C-MOLD output file format. Translat ion from this file to an equivalent input file to any other structural analysis package capable of doing layer based shell analysis is possible by anyone who knows both file formats. All the T-CODE's used for geometric non -linear calculations in C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage are still effective. To get fast-cooling pvT data requires additional material testing and data reduction. Data has been generated for only a few resins so far. Due to the limited number of resins tested, at this time, the fast cooling pvT data is not included in the C-MOLD Resin Database. Contact your resin suppliers or C-MOLD Polymer Laboratory for information about acquiring this data and requesting testing services.
Final displacement solution due to all causes, and Displacement solution due to assuming ran domly distributed fibers in the planar directions and uniformly distributed fibers through the thickness
Unlike the previously available non -uniform shrinkage and unbalanced cooling causes of displacement, the displacement due to the fiber -orientation effect cannot be added into the total displacement with the other two, because they are mutually dependent. However, from the definition of the dataset, it can readily be seen that the sum of the displacement due to the fiber -orientation effect and the displacement due to assuming two -dimensional, randomly distributed fibers would be the total displacement. Users do not need to change any inputs to invoke the calculation of fiber orientation effect. When Fiber Orientation is chosen for the Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage simulation, the fiber-orientation effect is automatically
calculated. In the output file, filename.ow3, one more set of displacement data is produced for visualization. In the interface file, filename.ppt, a scalar set of twodimensional, randomly distributed fiber-filled composite properties is produced in the beginning, and one more in -cavity residual stress value is produced for each layer of each element. The fiber-orientation effect can be viewed by using C -MOLD Visualizer after Shrinkage & Warpage results have been loaded selected. Users then can select Displacement (randomly oriented fibers) or X(Y, Z)-displacement (randomly oriented fibers) from the list of available datasets to display the result. Normally, the displacement due to the fib er-orientation effect is of the same order of magnitude as that of the displacement due to non -uniform shrinkage.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installat ion process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems instal ling the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in hard copy form with the C MOLD 98.1 general release and is available on-line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
mold is greater under the new configuration, which improves the accuracy of the resulting integrated solution.
In most cases, using the workaround should cause the simulation to continue the iterations until the maximum number is reached. This premature exit and some other minor problems have been identified and fixed in the C-MOLD 98.12 incremental release. We have tested C -MOLD Cooling 98.12 on all of the cases where problems with the 98.7 release were reported. The C-MOLD Cooling 98.12 results are comparable to results of C MOLD Cooling 98.1 (before the changes introduced in the 98.7 ge neral release). Users who experience problems with C -MOLD Cooling 98.7 simulation should upgrade to C-MOLD 98.12 (or later versions). Interface file changed The interface file from C -MOLD Filling & Post-Filling to C-MOLD Cooling, formerly filename.PFC, is replaced in C-MOLD 98.12 by filename.PPC. The new interface file enables C-MOLD Cooling to be integrated with C -MOLD GasAssisted Injection Molding to implement the new Productivity Solution and Performance Solution capabilities for the gas -assisted injection molding process.
your design. However, the Design Diagnostics dialog will remain on top of the Save Design selection dialog. In order to save the design, you need to di smiss the Design Diagnostics dialog. Even though you dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog, your selection, either Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel will be processed. The workaround is to save your design before entering the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of ou r semi-annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in hard copy form with the CMOLD 98.1 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
A problem in C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage 98.7 that could produce inconsistent results when the temperature difference between consecutive time steps is very small has been corrected in the C -MOLD 98.10 and later incremental releases. C-MOLD Fiber Orientation Previously, C-MOLD Fiber Orientation generated many non -convergence warning messages. These have been consolidated to a single warning message which indicates the labels of the non -converged elements. Process Estimator on Windows 95/NT computers: A problem that occurred when adding multiple materials to the thermoplastic resin data via .fit files has been corrected. Previously, only the most recently customer-entered flow data would be accessible. All data provided in the standard C-MOLD Database was unaffected. C-MOLD License Manager on SGI MIPS IV computers: A problem that prevented C -MOLD applications from connecting to the License Manager has been corrected. Previously, the workaround was to run the IR IX 5.2 version of C-MOLD. Note that with this problem correction, 64 -bit IRIX 6.2 or higher is required to run C -MOLD on SGI MIPS IV computers. C-MOLD on IBM computers: C-MOLD for IBM computers now is built with compilers and libraries included with the AIX 4.1.5 release. Previously, C -MOLD was built with AIX 3.2.5 compilers and libraries. Customers running earlier versions of AIX will need to upgrade their operating system level. Our stated operating system requirement for C-MOLD remains at AIX 4.2.
Changes to the C-MOLD Resin Database since the C -MOLD 98.9 incremental release are detailed in the appendix.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review th is list as part of our semi-annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It wa s distributed in hard copy form with the C MOLD 98.1 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
selection, either Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel will be processed. The workaro und is to save your design before entering the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of o ur semi-annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in har d copy form with the CMOLD 98.1 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in hard copy form with the C MOLD 98.1 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
Figure 1. Cooling channel efficiency results from the old C-MOLD Cooling. The disconnected elements and the discontinuous results at the bends in the channel are easily seen.
Figure 2. Improved cooling channel efficiency results from the enhanced C MOLD Cooling (version 98.5 and later). The results are continuous along the entire length of the channel.
than the convergence criterion, the solution was assumed to be converged. Sometimes this indirect method failed to reflect the real convergence approximation. In the enhanced C-MOLD Cooling, since the storage of BEM elements has been improved, the former technical difficulty is also solved, and it has become possible to use the residual directly as convergence parameter, which eliminates a source of error that occurred in the older version.
This example clearly shows us why the enhanced C -MOLD Cooling runs faster. It can also be seen that in the old C -MOLD Cooling, the residual after the last iteration is much larger than the convergence parameter in the last iteration. However, in the enhanced C MOLD Cooling, these values are the same, so the convergence parameter becomes a true measure of the solution accuracy.
On Windows and using Exceed 5.1.1, the Control Panel analysis launc hing sequence can sometimes stack windows in the incorrect order, putting the informational message under a file selection dialog. If you have not saved your design prior to entering the Design Diagnostics dialog, when you try to leave the dialog you will be prompted to first save your design. However, the Design Diagnostics dialog will remain on top of the Save Design selection dialog. In order to save the design, you need to dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog. Even though you dismiss the Design Diagnos tics dialog, your selection, either Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel will be processed. The workaround is to save your design before entering the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Minimum C-MOLD OS Level Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2
Intel-based PC 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro Windows 95 Intel-based PC Pentium or Pentium Pro SGI (MIPS I) SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5)
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in hard copy form with the C MOLD 98.1 general release and is available on -line in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the on -line documentation set.
C-MOLD Cooling
A new representation is used for cooling -channel elements, which eliminates overlap problems that could occur in previous releases at bends in cooling channels. CPU time required to complete Cooling simulation on a mid -sized model has been reduced significantly. In addition, users are no longer re quired to adjust the relaxation number, and the solution now is more robust.
Figure 1. Model representation of baffle or bubbler. It is obvious that at the entrance node, the pressure is dis continuous at the two sides of the baffle plate or bubbler plate. Therefore, an abrupt change of pressure at the entrance node should be seen in the graphical display. In the baffle or bubbler, however, the pressure drop of entering flow and returning flow is still displayed on the element(s) from the entrance node to the free-end node. In other words, after the code change, the coolant pressure at the free-end node should be the same as the coolant pressure at the entrance node from the exit side of the baffle or bubbler. This change has no effects on results of C -MOLD Cooling simulation. Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the displays of coolant pressure before and after the code change, respectively.
Figure 1. (Click to zoom in.) Coolant pressure Figure 2. (Click to zoom in.) Improved coolant display before the code change. pressure display after the code change.
C-MOLD Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage Update: Layer-based Residual Stress Coupl ing with Fiber Orientation
Terminology Coupling with Fiber Orientation Layer-Based Information vs. Equivalent Loadings Technical Details How to Use the New Feature
What is new
The Fiber Orientation option for Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage simulation gives improved deformation result compared to previous versions, because of the coupling of the residual-stress and thermo-mechanical properties calculations with the fiber-orientation calculation. The interface between C-MOLD Residual Stress and C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage is now layer-based, which is different from the equivalent loadings used by previous versions. The number of layers used for the Residual Stress calculation is the same as the number of layers specified for Filling & Post-Filling simulation. The molded-in residual stress after part ejection is now optional output as requested by users, instead of in-cavity residual stress. C-MOLD Polymer Laboratory now provides fast-cooling pvT testing for semicrystalline materials. Shrinkage & Warpage predictions can be improved to within 10% accuracy by using the fast -cooling pvT data.
Terminology
What is in-cavity residual stress? The in-cavity residual stress refers to the internal stress accumulated during the solidification of the part inside the cavity until the temperature and pressure within the cavity drop to ambient conditions. This in-cavity residual stress is the driving force of part shrinkage and warpage after ejection. It is calculated by C MOLD Residual Stress and stored in the interface file to C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage (filename.ppt). In-cavity residual stress cannot be measured on a molded part because of the stress relaxation that occurs after ejection. What is molded-in residual stress? After part ejection, the constraints from the mold cavity are released, and the part is free to shrink and deform. After it settles t o an equilibrium shape, the remaining stress inside the part is called molded -in residual stress, or simply, residual stress. The difference between in-cavity residual stress and molded -in residual stress is whether or not the constraints imposed by the ca vity on the part have been released. Molded-in residual stress can be measured on a molded part. This new release of C-MOLD includes the option to output the molded -in residual stress. Why Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage ? The predicted final deformation of a part after ejection is what a user expects a simulation to produce. The intermediate, in -cavity residual stress has no practical application for users, and therefore, it no longer included in C -MOLD output file. C-MOLD Residual Stress and C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage are now tightly integrated with layer-based residual stress and mechanical properties
calculations; this feature is not provided with interfaces to other, general -purpose structural analysis programs. Why fast-cooling pvT? The physical properties of semi-crystalline materials (such as PET, PBT, Nylon, etc.) depend on the degree of crystallinity. During the injection molding process, the material's crystallinity depends on several processing parameters, especially on the cooling rate. Conventiona l pvT testing is based on measurements at equilibrium or at a very slow cooling rate. The pvT behavior of semi -crystalline materials can be quite different under a fast cooling rate, therefore resulting in different amounts of shrinkage. C -MOLD recently developed a technique to measure and predict pvT under the fast -cooling conditions similar to an injection molding process. It has been verified by the Polymers Department of the GM Research and Development Center (under NIST/TED project) that fast -cooling pvT data in the simulation can improve the shrinkage prediction to within 10% accuracy for semi-crystalline materials. C-MOLD Polymer Laboratory offers the fast-cooling pvT material testing service. Check with your resin suppliers or C MOLD Polymer Laboratory for details.
Residual Stress and Thermo -Mechanical Properties Calculations Coupled with Fiber Orientation Calculation
Previous versions of C-MOLD used the thermo-mechanical properties in the flow and transverse directions for the Shrinkage & Warpage cal culations. In cases where the material is fiber-reinforced, the local thermo -mechanical properties would depend on the fiber orientation. This new version of C-MOLD calculates the local thermo -mechanical properties based on predicted fiber orientation, and the local residual stress corresponds to the local thermo-mechanical properties. For fiber-reinforced materials, the Shrinkage & Warpage predictions are now based on the residual stress and thermo -mechanical properties coupled with fiber orientation prediction. Users can add a service-loading simulation after the residual -stress calculation in order to predict part performance under service. The influence of fiber orientation and molded -in residual stress can be considered in the structural design of plast ic parts.
Such equivalent loadings are self -balanced before part deformation, but can become unbalanced after large deformation, resulting in a rigid -body motion to the Shrinkage & Warpage prediction. After the introducing geometric non -linear analysis in C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage, it became possible to calculate large deformations. When this happens, the originally balanced equivalent loadings may become unbalanced. It is not possible to perform a geometric non -linear Shrinkage & Warpage simulation with equivalent loadings based on in -cavity residual stress. The in-cavity residual stress should be used directly, because it is always self-balanced, no matter how the part is deformed. In-cavity residual stress is used for Shrinkage & Warpage prediction in this update. In-cavity residual stress is predicted for each layer of each element. In previous versions of C -MOLD Residual Stress, a part was assumed homogeneous, which means that thermo-mechanical properties (isotropic or transversely isotropic) are uniformly distributed. In this update, this assumption is no longer valid for fiber -filled composites; that is, layer -based thermo-mechanical properties are calculated for each layer of each element and used for Shrinkage & Warpage calculation. The layer-based information mentioned above is stored in filename.ppt, and used as input to the final Shrinkage & Warpage prediction.
Technical Enhancements
These technical explanations of diffe rences from previous versions are provided for reference. Users do not have to know these details to run the new version. The micromechanics model used is now the Tandon-Weng model, instead of the Halpin-Hsai model that has been used in previous versions. Results of the NIST/TED project suggested that the Tandon-Weng model would give slightly better predictions; however, the improvement is marginal. Micromechanics is a way of studying a composite material on a very localized scale with extreme orientations, such as the perfectly aligned case. In calculating average orientation, orthotropic closure is now used instead of hybrid closure, which has been used in previous versions. This change also resulted from work under the NIST/TED project. Closure approximation adds an extra equation or equation group to complete the equation group for fiber orientation. Without it, the number of unknowns are more than the number of equations, so there would be no way to solve the equations. Closure approximation may not be based on physics. Orthotropic closure is derived to agree with analytical solutions in extreme orientation states. In C-MOLD Fiber Orientation, the optimized quasi-planar (OQP) method is now used instead of the quasi-planar (QP) method that has been used i n previous versions. The OQP method was derived by Professor Charles Tucker under the NIST/TED project. Tests from GM Research and Development Center indicate
that the OQP method gives orientation results that are closer to measured orientation values. In C-MOLD Residual Stress, the instant freeze model is now used instead of the thermo-rheological simple viscoelastic model that has been used in previous versions. This change has been implemented because few users employed the relaxation moduli in the therm o-rheological simple viscoelastic model available in previous C-MOLD Residual Stress versions. In the previous implementation, elastic models could be considered as subsets of the thermo -rheological simple viscoelastic model; but it took more CPU time and memory, and when elastic constants were used, it essentially performed as an instant -freeze model. The instant freeze model assumes that the polymer or polymer composite will become elastic immediately after the temperature drops below the transition temperature. In contrast, the thermo -rheological simple viscoelastic model assumes that the material gradually gains strength based on temperature and time change after the temperature drops below the transition temperature. The temperature and time can be supe rposed into a material time, and the relaxation moduli as functions of the material time can then be used in the residual -stress calculation. Fiber-filled composite materials now are assumed to be orthotropic instead of transversely isotropic, which has been assumed in previous versions. This means that E33 (elastic modulus in the thickness direction) is no longer assumed equal to E22 (elastic modulus in the planar direction perpendicular to the E 11 direction) for fiber-filled materials, which is a more rea sonable assumption. Among all the changes, it is found that the biggest influence on the Integrated Shrinkage & Warpage result is the pvT data. For simulations of applications using semi-crystalline materials, using fast-cooling pvT data as input to the simulation will definitely yield more accurate results. This change is not to the code itself, but rather to the material data that is input to the simulation.
Units: Range: Default Value: Option output Option Option Option T-CODE# Equation: Units:
NONE 0-4 0 no molded -in stress output 1 for Principal Residual Stress (Molded -in) 2 for option 1 plus Max Shear Stress 3 for option 1 plus Mises-Hencky Stress 4 for all the stress outputs 00615 NONE NONE
Range: 0-4 Default Value: 0 no stress output for s ervice loading and combined with service loading Option 1 for Principal Residual Stress (service) and (molded-in + service) output Option 2 for option 1 plus Max Shear Stress Option 3 for option 1 plus Mises-Hencky Stress Option 4 for all the stress outputs
The interface to ABAQUS from C -MOLD Residual Stress is temporarily suspended, beginning with this 98.5 incremental release. The layer-based in-cavity residual stresses and/or thermo -mechanical properties are stored in an ASCII interface file called filename.ppt, which is in C-MOLD output file format. Translation from this file to an equivalent input file to any other structural analysis package capable of doing layer -based shell analysis is possible by anybody who k nows both file formats. All the T-CODE's involved for geometric non -linearity calculation in C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage are still effective. To get fast-cooling pvT data requires additional material testing and data reduction. Data has been generated for o nly a handful of resins so far. Due to the limited number of tested resins, at this time, the fast cooling pvT data is not included in the C-MOLD Database that is released to customers. Contact your resin suppliers or C-MOLD Polymer Laboratory for the data and testing services.
On Windows and using Exceed 5.1.1, the Control Panel analysis launching sequence can sometimes stack windows in the incorrect order, putting the informational message under a file selection dialog. If you have not saved your design prior to entering the Design Diagnostics dialog, when you try to leave the dialog you will be prompted to first save your design. However, the Design Diagnostics dialog will remain on top of the Save Design selection dialog. In order to save the design, you need to dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog. Even though you dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog, your selection, either Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel will be processed. The workaround is to save your design before entering the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configur ations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform Current C-MOLD OS Levels DEC AXP DEC AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Intel PC SGI
(MIPS I and MIPS IV)
Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2 Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 for MIPS IV version Solaris 2.5
Sun SPARC
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 98 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML format on the CD, from our web site www.cmold.com or in hard copy format. A printed copy was included with the last general release.
Alpha AXP CPU 1 Locate cd_rom_drive_letter:\cmoldxxx\winalpha\ on the distribution CD. 2 Run setup.exe
Supported platforms.
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our semi -annual software update schedule and will periodicall y make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. Hardware Platform Current C-MOLD OS Levels DEC AXP DEC AXP NT HP 9000 IBM Intel PC SGI
(MIPS I and MIPS IV)
Digital UNIX 4.0 Windows NT 4.0 HP-UX 10.20 AIX 4.2 Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0 IRIX 5.3 IRIX 6.2 for MIPS IV version Solaris 2.5
Sun SPARC
Installation procedure.
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 98 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator.
Refer to the C-MOLD System Administrator Guide for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML format on the CD, from our web site www.cmold.com or in hard copy format. A printed copy was inclu ded with the last general release.
C-MOLD Filling and Post-Filling Based on a user request, allowance for negat ive coefficient of thermal expansion for fiber filled materials has been added. C-MOLD Filling/EZ A suggested ram speed profile is one of the outputs from C -MOLD Filling/EZ. Using the suggested ram speed profile will keep melt front speeds more uniform, resulting in a molded part with less molded in stresses. Ram speed profile settings are provided for the number of settings provided in the process conditions. Previously, if you only had 2 settings, say at 0% of stroke and 100% of stroke for example, only 2 suggested settings would be output. On user request we've changed the program to output 11 settings if only 2 settings are input. New Visualizer prototype o Reduction of the amount of memory usage during animation by using temporary disk files improves pe rformance on systems with limited amounts of available RAM. o A wider variety of OpenGL terminals are now supported. The new visualizer prototype can be started once the C -MOLD environment has been established by typing cviz97 in a console window.
Installation procedure
This release uses the same interactive proc edure as C-MOLD 98.1 that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You might need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C -MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configura tions and/or troubleshooting system problems. It was distributed in hard copy form with the C -MOLD 98.1 general release and is available online in HTML format from the documentation screens. Type cmdoc once C-MOLD is installed to access the online document ation set.
IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 Type install, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Encapsulation
Maximum pressure difference Wire-sweep and paddle-shift analyses Memory allocation Reactive Molding enhancement s
97.9 97.10 97.8 97.8 97.8 97.9 97.11 97.12 97.8 97.10
Weldlines and Air Traps Material Database
Running C-MOLD
It is now possible to operate in the root directory. While uncommon for UNIX users, some Windows users might want to s tart in the root directory.
Keyfiles
As long as your Support & Update agreement is current and you are updating from a 96.7 or higher version, your existing keyfile will enable this release. If you are updating directly to the 98.1 release from a version of C-MOLD earlier that 96.7, you will need a new keyfile. If using your existing keyfile with the 98.1 release results in an Inconsistent encryption code error, contact your local C -MOLD office to obtain your new keyfile. You can check your C-MOLD license key for the recorded Support & Update expiration date. Find the line with the key for C -MOLD that looks like this:
2eac 4f4a 8ah6 8d74 23d6 28gf d373 6k93 cmold NO EXPIRY 12/01/96 15users
The date in mm/dd/yy format is your Support & Update expiration da te. To run version 98.1, this date must be after 03/31/97. If you have a question about your Support & Update agreement, please call your local C -MOLD office.
Installation procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the in stallation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 98 without system administrator
assistance in less than ten minutes. See the inside cover of your CD case for complete installation instructions. You can also install C-MOLD and work in folders whose names contain spaces. This is available on both the UNIX and Windows version, although spaces in directory and filenames are more common in Windows than in UNIX.
Supported platforms
The current release supports the hardware platform and operating system configurations given in the table below. We routinely review this list as part of our sem i-annual software update schedule and will periodically make adjustments to reflect available and popular platforms. With the C-MOLD 98.1 release, we're changing our supported configurations. These and the C-MOLD 98.1 operating system requirements are giv en in the table below. We began implementing these changes with the C -MOLD 97.8 incremental release. TABLE 2. Supported platforms Hardware Platform C-MOLD Minimum OS Level PC 486, Pentium, or Pentium Pro PC Pentium or Pentium Pro DEC Alpha AXP DEC Alpha AXP HP 9000/700 IBM RS/6000 SGI SGI (MIPS IV) Sun SPARC Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0 (or higher) Windows NT 4.0 Digital UNIX 4.0 (or higher) HP-UX 10.20 (or higher) AIX 4.2 (or higher) IRIX 5.3 (or higher) IRIX 6.2 (or higher) Solaris 2.5 (SunOS 5.5) (or higher)
Control Panel
To boost performance, files from the temporary run directory are now moved to the design directory instead of copying them. This saves both time and disk space.
Coolant Flow
We made a correction in the heat loss calculation at the juncture between a regular cooling channel and a bubbler or baffle. The change is noticed only in a small set of modeling cases.
TABLE 3. Output data set changes Data set Data type Data category Skin-polymer half-gap thickness (top) Element Design Skin-polymer half-gap thicknes s (bottom) Volumetric shrinkage Frozen-in shear stress Melt front speed Recommend ram-speed Percentage fill Melt front velocity Total design weight Average flow length Error/Warning messages Report on post-filling Element Element Element Element Scalar Scalar Scalar Scalar Scalar Text Text Design Design (post-filling) Detail End of filling Design Design Design Design Design Summary report Summary report
10602 (rel)
22
50 50 50 50 50 50
10 30 50 70 90
50 20 50 40 50 60 50 80 50 100 10103 10200 1 1 Gas injection time 1.5 Timer for core or gas 1.9
injection
There are two deficiencies with the previous implementation. First of all, the polymer melt actually is compressible even during filling. Second, with a variable ram spe ed profile, it becomes difficult to specify the resin injection time that delivers a known pre filled polymer volume percentage. In order to handle the cases for which the pre -filled polymer volume percentage is known before the injection of gas, an input variable designated to Pre-filled polymer volume % has been introduced. In the new release, the F/P switch over by % volume is used for this purpose. When used with a non-zero Timer for hold pressure, the F/P switch over by % volume serves as the fill-to-pack switch-over criterion as usual. In other words, the polymer injection will continue (under flow rate control) until F/P switch-over by % volume is completed and the pressure control takes place for the remaining process. However, if there is no Timer for hold pressure in the input file (or if the value specified is zero), then there will be no packing imposed on the polymer after the F/P switch -over point. In the present implementation, this condition triggers the closure of polymer entrances, thereby signaling the end of polymer injection. Therefore, this variable can be used as the Pre-filled polymer volume % for the Gas-Assisted Molding simulation. If there is a delay time after the polymer entrances close, the predicted pressure inside the cavity will decay, as it will in reality. On the other hand, if the gas injection defined by the Timer for core or gas injection is triggered before the completion of F/P switch over by % volume, the polymer injection will terminate and gas entrances will open at this moment, allowing gas to be injected. That is, the program recognizes only the sequential (polymer-then-gas) process.
There is no need to modify the existing process conditions file. To make the transition smoother, the new release will read -in the same input files created for earlier releases (Figure 1). What it does internally is to calculate the Pre-filled polymer volume % and store it as F/P switch over by % volu me based on the Fill time, Resin injection time, and Ram speed profile (rel). It will also account for a variable ram -speed profile (such as the one specified in the . prc file in Figure 2). In this case, the pre-filled polymer volume for the process conditions file is 96.53% rather than 95%, which is simply the ratio of Resin injection time to Fill time. Figure 2 Process conditions file (partial) from new release
PROC 1 15 10100 10101 10602 (rel) 0 10 30 50 70 90 50 20 90 40 100 60 100 80 80 10103 10200 injection 1.90 1 1 100 30 Gas injection time 1.5 Timer for core or gas 100 100 100 70 30 Description of TCODE .... 1 Fill time 2.00 1 Resin injection time 1.90 22 Ram speed profile
With this new option in the new release, specification of Resin injection time or F/P switch over by % volume will depend on the actual machine control. If the injection of polymer melt is controlled by a timer, then the user can still use the Resin injection time in the input file. On the other hand, if the Pre-filled polymer volume % is the known input, the user should replace Resin injection time with F/P switch over by % volume in the process conditions file. You can find out how to modify these variables in the Process Estimator User's Guide . If the original input file with Resin injection time has been specified in such a way that gives a proper pre -filled polymer volume percent, there is no need to modify the input file, since the program will do it internally.
the delay period when the injection screw bottoms a pre -set amount of polymer into the cavity before gas injection.
On the other hand, the new release will try to inject 95% of the polymer into the cavity. However, after 1.9 seconds have elapsed, the polymer injection will be terminated with a warning due to the onset of gas injection, leading to 94.386 % of the polymer in the cavity (see Figure 4). In other words, when there's little or no delay time, the polymer injection could be cut short due to material compressibil ity. Figure 4 Screen message with the new release
Screen message with the new release (97.8): At time = 1.7674E+00 s, 8.7068E+01 % of volume filled, entrance pressure = 2.8744E+07 Pa, total clamp force = 1.9252E+05 N, filling under ram speed control. ** WARNING ** TRY TO INJECT GAS BEFORE POLYMER INJECTION STOPS.
END OF POLYMER INJECTION/PACKING, POLYMER ENTRANCE IS CLOSED. At time = 1.9173E+00 s, gas injection at entrance # 1 STARTS. At time = 1.9173E+00 s, 9.4386E+01 % of volume filled, gas entrance # 1 pressure = 5.0000E+06 Pa, total clamp force = 7.5231E+04 N, filling under gas control.
Full pvT modeling for both filling and post -filling stages
The 2-domain modified Tait polymer density model should be used instead of the isotropic thermal expansion coefficient. For a better description of ma terial behavior with rapid temperature and pressure changes, pvT data -which are available with all the termoplastic resins in the C -MOLD material database (specific or generic) -should be used. The isotropic thermal expansion coefficient previously used by early releases of Gas-Assisted Molding will not be recognized by the new release.
Illustrative Examples
The examples illustrated here are designed to de monstrate the usage of the new release. The part geometry for the designs were provided by Chung -Yuan Christian University.
10
50 50 50 50 50
100
50
For the purpose of comparison, the predicted gas penetration in terms of skin polymer fraction at the end of the process using both the previous and the new releases are shown in Figures 7 and 8, respectively. When compared to actual experimental observation, the prediction from the new release, which shows no gas permeation into the thin section, is more agreeable with the actual findings. In addition, Figure 9 shows that the overall gas volume percentage (hollowed -out volume) in the cavity is near 6% of the entire volume.
Figure 7 Predicted gas penetration in terms of skin -polymer fraction at the end o f the process using the previous release
Figure 8 Predicted gas penetration in terms of skin -polymer fraction at the end of the process using the new release.
Figure 9 Predicted overall gas volume percentage as a function of time using the new release.
1 1 4
F/P switch over by % volume 99 Timer for hold pressure 1 Relative pack/hold pressure profile 0 80 100 Gas injection time 20 Timer for core or gas injection 1.750 Gas injection control option 0 Ram speed profile (rel) 0 50 50 50 50 50 50 10 30 50 70 90
1 1 1 22
50 20 50 40 50 60 50 80 50 100
Note that when used with a non -zero Timer for hold pressure, the F/P switch over by % volume serves as the regular fill-to-pack (flow rate control to press ure control) criterion. In other words, when the cavity is 99% filled with polymer, pressure control will take place. In this case, a pressure equal to 80% of the polymer entrance pressure (specified by the Relative pack/hold pressure profile ) at the switch-over point will be used to fill and pack out the cavity until the Timer for hold pressure ends or gas is injected, whichever comes first. In this case, the cavity gets filled after 1.655 seconds, and the preliminary packing ends earlier than the specified one-second duration as the gas injection triggered after 1.750 seconds. The predicted gas penetration in terms of skin -polymer fraction at the end of post -filling and the total gas volume percentage are plotted in Figures 11 and 12, respectively. Due to pre-packing, the total gas volume percentage reduces to 3.3%. Moreover, the gas vo lume percentage levels-off after 12 seconds, indicating that further holding of the gas pressure will not advance the gas penetration. This is further evidenced by the predicted volumetric shrinkage of several elements in the part (see Figure 13), which levels off after 5 seconds, suggesting further packing will not reduce the volumetric shrinkage any more. The distribution of volumetric shrinkage at the end of post-filling is shown in Figure 14.
Figure 11 Predicted gas penetration in terms of skin-polymer fraction at the end of the full-shot gas injection process.
Figure 12 Predicted overall gas volume percentage as a function of time for the full -shot process.
Maximum # of elements
An artificial limit of 5000 for the maximum number of elements has been removed.
Microchip Encapsulation
A number of changes have been made to Microchip Encapsulation to improve its robustness and usability. Aside from the enhancements detailed in the sections below, we also changed the code to handle: Missing elements: situations where the element numbering is not continuous. Isolated nodes: previous releases required you to use the Modeler's Check Mesh function to find and delete free nodes.
Comparisons
We performed tests and compared the results from ABAQUS and C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage. Paddle shift. ABAQUS and non-linear C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage gave similar values. Wire sweep. Two cases were used for testing. In the first case, where the wire length was about 3 mm, ABAQUS and C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage (line ar or non-linear) gave wire sweep values in the same order of magnitude. The wire length in the second case was about 5.5 mm. In this trial, the wire sweep values from linear Shrinkage & Warpage were about 12 times bigger than those from ABAQUS. On the oth er hand, the non-linear Shrinkage & Warpage values were about 10 times smaller than those from ABAQUS. The small deformation from non -linear C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage is because it does not consider plastic deformation (unlike in ABAQUS).
Memory allocation
Version 97.8 removed the limits of design output data sets from Reactive Molding. The previous version might not have enough memory allocation for Reactive Molding output data. If there was no .os1 file and Microchip Encapsulation was launching Reactive Molding, it allowed only up to ten design output data sets from Reactive Molding. However, a problem arose if the number of design output from Reactive Molding Analysis, as specified in the parameter (. par) file, was larger than 10 (current default = 12). The workaround was (1) to run Reactive Molding to get an . os1 file first, before running Microchip Encapsulation, or (2) to specify less than ten design outputs in the . par file for Reactive Molding.
The new release does bet ter conversions with calculated results from ABAQUS.
Gel conversion
The new release takes gel conversion equal to 1.0. If the gel conversion was specif ied as 1.0 in the previous release, Reactive Molding would not output conversion layer fraction as its design output, which caused a problem with Microchip Encapsulation. The workaround was to change gel conversion in the . mtl file to 0.99.
Accounting for geometric non -linearity releases the constraints of the small and linear deformation assumptions, and predicted results will become more accurate for molded parts that exhibit large shrinkage and warpage. The geometric non -linear analysis will handle changes in the internal stresses as well as the stiffness of each element as the part deforms during the calculation. Accounting for geometric non -linearity also gains significance in the service -loading analysis, when resulting deformation becomes large.
Differences to expect
The non-linear analysis can give a more accurate solution for large -deformation problems, but it does not mean that the predicted deformation must be larger than the results of the previous C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage simulation using linear assumptions. On the contrary, the non -linear analysis results in smaller predicted deformation, in most cases. The new, non-linear analysis option in C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage is better used for a service-loading analysis, in which the loading could result in large deformations. However, if you encounter a modeled problem that produces large linear shrinkage and warpage, using the non-linear analysis option should produce more accurate results compared to the previous C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage results. Using connector elements in the model introduces additional constraints on the Shrin kage & Warpage simulation because, by definition, the two connected nodes should have the same displacement values. When connectors are used in the runner system or between a runner and the cavity, they will not be included in the calculations. However, wh en connectors are used in modeling the part itself, the additional constraints might introduce some error, and unrealistic displacement values could be predicted by the previous C MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage program. This problem has been considered and is h andled in the updated C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage program, such that results of the calculations now show no relative deformation between the two nodes linked by a connector element.
FEA Interfaces
Patran
The Patran mesh interface has been enhanced to handle cases where the mesh elements have a physical property table entry defined, yet the actual physical property table entry does not exist. The FEA Interfaces are available from the File pull-down menu of the Control Panel and the Modeler.
Ansys
The ANSYS interface has been updated to accept lines up to 120 characters long. Previously it would accept lines of up to 80 characters. Th is change permits the reading of finite element meshes created in ANSYS R5.3 format with long line formats.
IDEAS
The IDEAS interface has been updated to accept IDEAS Master Series 5 meshes.
Material Database
Specific heat datasets
Some datasets that contained a large number of specific heat versus temperature pairs could cause performance problems with the Control Panel and Process Estimator . The number of these pairs of datasets has been reduced. A general review of the specific heat datasets was also made to ensure consistent data values.
The solution
Dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog with the Close command on the window menu button (in the upper-left corner of the window frame). Even though you dismiss the dialog, your Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel selection will be processed. You can then save your design. The workaround is to save your design before opening the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Keyfiles
Provided your Support & Update agreement is current and you are updating from a 96.7 or higher version, your existing keyfile will enable this release. If you are updating directly to the 97.7 release from a v4 or 96 release prior to 96.7, you will need a new keyfile. If using your existing keyfile with the 97.7 release results in an inconsistent encryption error, contact your local C -MOLD office to obtain your new keyfile. You can check your C-MOLD license key for the recorded Support & Update expiration date. Find the line with the k ey for C-MOLD that looks like this:
2eac 4f4a 8ah6 8d74 23d6 28gf d373 6k93 cmold NO EXPIRY 12/01/96 15users
The date in mm/dd/yy format is your Support & Update expiration date. To run 97.7, this date must be after 03/31/97. If you have a question about your Support & Update agreement, please contact your local C -MOLD office.
Running C-MOLD
It is now possible to operate in the root directory. While uncommon for UNIX users, some Windows users might want to start in the root directory.
Installation procedure
This release uses the same interactive procedure as the 97.1 release to guide you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. See the inside cover of your CD case for complete installation instructions. You can also install C-MOLD and work in folders whose names cont ain spaces. This is available on both the UNIX and Windows version, although spaces in directory and filenames are more common in Windows than in UNIX.
Hardware platforms
New platform
In response to customer requests, C -MOLD has been ported to the Digital Alpha generation series of workstations running the Alpha NT version of Windows. If you want to run C-MOLD on an Alpha NT Workstation, please contact your C -MOLD office.
Windows users
Run directories
C-MOLD uses run directories for storing intermediate resu lts while the simulations are executing. On Windows NT and Windows 95 systems, these directories would sometimes not be removed after the Run Now or Run as Batch job had completed. These empty directories were harmless, but could be confusing. With the 97. 6 release, these temporary run directories are now properly removed once the analysis completes.
UNIX users
In UNIX systems, in csh for example, you should enter the following:
setenv CMOLD_SMALL yes
Windows users
In Windows systems, you should enter:
set CMOLD_SMALL=yes
Coolant manifolds
Attempting to run a Coolant Flow simulation when there were no coolant manifolds (circuits) defined in your model used to ca use a program error. The workaround was either not to run a cooling analysis when you had no coolant manifolds defined, or to add coolant manifolds to your model. The problem was fixed in the 97.6 incremental release, so that the program error no longer oc curs. However, you do still need to define at least one coolant manifold in order to run a Cooling analysis.
previous iteration's values, and comparing this percentage change to the mold wall temperature convergence criterion. When the percentage change from one itera tion to the next is less than the mold wall temperature convergence criterion, the iterations stop, and then the residual is computed.
Examples
The new Coolant Flow analysis became available beginning with the 97.4 incremental release. We present three examples below, and compare the predictions from the previous version (C-MOLD 97.3 and earlier) with those of the new version. Example 1: Cooling channels with large D/L ratios The first example deals with a cooling circuit that contains one disk -like cooling channel element with a large D/L ratio (as shown at the junction between the largest and the smallest channel elements in the top section in Figure 1). This disk-like cooling channel element will cause abnormal termination of the Coolant Flow analysis in C-MOLD 97.3 and earlier versions. The workaround for this problem is to re-mesh the cooling channels so that the D/L ratio is at least larger than 1. However, the new implementation in C -MOLD 97.4 handles elements with large D/L ratios without having to re-mesh, and successfully produces solutions, as shown in the lower section in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Example 2: Coolant pressure distribution in bubblers The second example involves a combination of parallel bubblers (four in a group) connected in series. The coolant pressure distribution along the bubblers predicted by C MOLD 97.3 and earlier versions is s hown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Normally, one would expect to see a monotonic decrease in pressure from the base of the bubbler to its tip, as the pressure drop is the driving force for coolant flow. As Figure 2 illustrates, however, the pressure at the tips of the bubblers predicted by older versions of C-MOLD is actually higher than the predicted pressure at upstream locations. The problem has been fixed in C-MOLD 97.4, and the more reasonable solution is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 Example 3: Pressure distribution in elements with va riable diameters This example illustrates the functionality added in C -MOLD 97.4, which enables the Coolant Flow analysis to handle bubblers and baffles that have variable (step -wise or tapered) diameters. Shown in Figure 4 is the predicted pressure dist ribution within a group of five straight bubblers, connected in parallel. There is only a small pressure drop along the two cooling channels that connect the five bubblers. Most of the pressure drop occurs along each of the bubblers, which have higher flow resistance due to the divided, inner and outer flow paths. For this case, the required overall pressure drop to deliver a user -specified flow rate is 400 Pa (0.0004 MPa).
Figure 4 If one employs bubblers with step -wise cross sections, as shown in Figure 5, the required pressure drop increases significantly (from 400 Pa to 5,400 Pa) as a result of more restrictive flow areas. This new function in C-MOLD 97.4 makes it possible to simulate cases in which bubblers or baffles of variable diameters are used due to special design requirements.
Figure 5
The C1 and C2 juncture loss model was derived from capillary viscosity data. This model can accurately describe the extra pressure loss at the juncture of a tube and a reservoir. In a typical runner and gate design, however, the abrupt size change is not a s drastic as the change between a tube and a reservoir. Therefore, the juncture loss (or extra pressure drop) is not as significant as the data derived from capillary viscosity data. In the limiting case, this extra pressure drop equals zero at the junctur e of two tubes with the same diameter. Prior to the C-MOLD 96.12 release, juncture loss was applied to pressure calculations only when two consecutive runner or gate elements had a diameter ratio greater than 2. This meant that the extra pressure loss was applied only to elements with an abrupt change in size between them. With the 97.1 release, we enhanced the juncture loss calculations by using a continuous model that can be applied to all runner and gate elements in the mesh. Now: If the diameter ratio equals 1, then extra pressure drop equals zero (no juncture loss occurs when the diameters are the same). If the diameter ratio equals infinity, then extra pressure drop equals the calculated value from the C1 and C2 model. It is a continuous model, so it can be applied to all runner and gate elements in the mesh.
Using the incorrect C1 value and the old juncture -loss calculation methods made no difference to the predicted gate pressure. Using the correct value of C1 with the old juncture -loss calculation method led to over-prediction of juncture loss.
C-MOLD Modeler
Point attributes
We fixed a problem involving the deletion of point attributes when r unning on 64-bit UNIX machines, such as the MIPS IV SGI and DEC Alpha. Although you could previously set and query point attributes like polymer entrances, you could not delete them.
Mesh
Mesh nodes
The Mesh pull-down menu contains commands for editing me sh nodes and elements. In previous releases, moving mesh nodes could cause the Modeler to crash under certain circumstances. This problem was resolved in the 97.3 incremental release.
Mesh size
An infinite loop used to occur if meshing was performed on su rface or region boundaries when no mesh size information was assigned. New mesh size checks were added to avoid this.
Duplicate entities
Due to internal constraints in the Modeler's geometry database, duplicate entities, such as points, are not allowed. T o determine when two points are at the "same" location, a tolerance needs to be used. This tolerance was decreased in the 96.12 release to solve a problem involved in importing several IGES models. Although internal testing on hundreds of models uncovered no problems with this tolerance change, problems have surfaced in the field in which models either can no longer be read into the Modeler or become corrupted (unreadable) after being read into the Modeler and saved. The problem was traced to the tightening of the internal tolerance, which caused more points to be identified as duplicates and merged. When these duplicate points were used by other entities yet to be read from the model, merging them often caused the model to become corrupted. The 97.5 incremental release of the Modeler addresses this serious problem with a collection of fixes. Our tests indicate that the 97.5 and later releases of the Modeler can successfully read and save uncorrupted models created by both 96.7 and 97.1 versions of the Modeler. Likewise, tolerance problems with reading IGES and GEO format models were corrected. Now when the Modeler attempts to read a corrupted model, the
information up to the point of damage is successfully read, and you are prompted to save the model immediately. You are then able to reload that model and retain all the uncorrupted information. Although the model corruption problem is most prevalent when importing large IGES models containing many closely spaced points, it can also happen on models built entirely within the Modeler.
could possibly be interpreted incorrectly, leading to incorrect results. The problem was corrected in the 97.4 incremen tal release.
Fixities
When performing the Shrinkage and Warpage Analysis the model needs to be constrained for rigid-body translations and rotations. Six degrees of fixity (X, Y, Z translations and rotations about X, Y, and Z axes) are needed.
Version 97.1
In the 97.1 version, in each substructure (e.g., cavity in a multicavity mold), the free rigid-body motions are prevented by fixing six degrees of freedom at three nodes. These three nodes were determined by C -MOLD Residual Stress and stored in the neut ral (.neu) file. At the first node, the translations are set to zero. The second node lies on the line N1 N2 of the initial shape. The third node lays in the plane defined by N1 -N2-N3 of the initial shape. C-MOLD Residual Stress chooses these three nodes f or each substructure of the part; that is, if the part consists of several mechanically independent substructures (e.g., a multi-cavity mold where each cavity is treated separately), each substructure has its six fixities assigned. When reviewing displacem ent results in C-MOLD Visualizer, it is important to consider that displacement is related to the fixities and corresponding best fit transformation. When comparing to measurements of an actual part, an anchor plane should be defined to match the constrain ts on the measuring device. Chapter 4 and Appendix B of the C-MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage User's Guide describes this in more detail.
Version 97.7
In the 97.7 version, the six degrees of fixity are determined by the C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage module. For each substructure, a node near the geometric center of the substructure is found and the translations and rotations set to zero there. This is possible because of a reworking of the element formulation used in C -MOLD Shrinkage & Warpage and an increase in the numerical precision of the neutral (. neu) file. Previously, we've used Allman's membrane element, which, due to its formulation, required the fixities to be defined at three nodes. With new enhancements to Allman's element based on research at the Cornell Injection Molding Program, the requirement of three nodes is removed and the fixities can be placed at a single node. This makes the module easier to develop and verify as well as more efficient computationally. This new element formulation is somewhat st iffer than before, which will reduce predicted warpage. The change in the neutral (. neu) file involves using G16.8 format instead of G12.4 format. This provides up to four additional digits of precision to prevent unbalanced loads from accumulated truncation errors. If you have developed your own interface from the neutral (.neu) file to a structural analysis program, you should review it to see if any changes are needed.
Distance results
You can expect that distance results will be close to previous valu es, but usually with slightly smaller changes to the original distance due to the stiffer element formulation. Distance between nodes is the best way to compare results because it does not depend on the coordinate system (e.g., anchor plane). With the diff erences in the anchor plane definition between the two versions, trying to compare displacement contour or shaded plots is not feasible because redefining the anchor plane in C -MOLD Visualizer does not affect the contour and data-shaded plots.
C-MOLD Visualizer
The enhancements in the C -MOLD Visualizer have centered on the print function in this general release.
Printing
PCX
The PCX hard copy driver now supports direct color and/or pseudocolor vi suals.
Print dialog
The print dialog has been modified to merge the White -to-black and Black background toggles into a single Reverse black/white toggle. The black/white reverse option is available for both TIFF and RGB outputs.
FEA Interfaces
The number of formats with which C -MOLD can interface has increased, and the translation requirements have changed slightly in this release. The FEA Interfaces are available from the File pull-down menu on the Control Panel and the Modeler.
Moldflow interface
Moldflow release 9 files are now supported. You can run the Moldflow Release 9 to C MOLD Mesh ( mf90fem ) interface by typing its name at a co mmand prompt or from the File; FEA Interfaces menu in the Control Panel and the Modeler.
Ansys
C-MOLD now supports Ansys release 5.3.
PATRAN
A problem in translating part runner elements from PATRAN format files has been corrected.
User Interface
The user interface of C-MOLD's interactive modules -the Control Panel, Modeler, Visualizer, and Rapid Designer -was changed slightly in this release.
System palette
Windows users
In Windows versions of the C -MOLD interactive modules, you'll find a series of icons in the lower right side of the window called the system palett e. These icons allow for easy access to such functions as starting an editor or reading your mail. On Windows 95 and NT versions, these icons are now attached to common Windows application programs.
MOLD database. Users have the ability to view C -MOLD's monthly incremental releases on the Web, and will eventually have the capability to select specific enhancements that can be immediately downloaded to produce custom software .
The solution
Dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog with the Close command on the window menu button (in the upper-left corner of the window frame). Even though you dismiss the dialog, your Run Now, Run as B atch, or Cancel selection will be processed. You can then save your design. The workaround is to save your design before opening the Design Diagnostics dialog.
Installation Procedure
This release uses a new interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You might need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed Installation Guide has been renamed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide, and is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems.
UNIX machines
These instructions will work for the following hardware platforms: HP 9000, DEC AXP OSF/1, IBM RS6000, Sun SPARC Solaris 2.4 (OS5.4), and SGI (MIPS 1 and MIPS IV). SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only if they are using a machine with an R8000 or higher CPU that i s capable of executing MIPS IV instructions. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer.
2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir , where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD -ROM drive. 3 HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir , where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir , where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 Type install, and follow the on-screen instructions.
C-MOLD Injection Compression Molding simulation can now be launched from the C MOLD Control Panel.
Installation Procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or to install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed Installation Guide has been renamed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide, and is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML format on the CD, from our web site www.cmold.com or in hard copy format. A printed copy was included with the November general release.
UNIX machines
These instructions will work for the following hardware platforms: HP 9000, DEC AXP OSF/1, IBM RS6000, Sun SPARC Sola ris 2.4 (OS5.4), and SGI (MIPS 1 and MIPS IV). SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only if they are using a machine with an R8000 or higher CPU that is capable of executing MIPS IV instructions in 64 -bit mode. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer. 2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir , where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD -ROM drive. 3 HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir , where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir , where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir
SGI: The mount is done automatical ly by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 Type ./install , and follow the on-screen instructions. HP users will need to type ./INSTALL\;.
Visualizer
The print dialog has been modified to merge the "white to black" and " black background" toggles into a single "reverse black/white" toggle.
Rapid Designer
When adding your own data for the Moldflow 2nd order viscosity model, you can now specify any of the seven constants as either a positive or negative value. Previously, n ot all constants were allowed to be negative.
C-MOLD
It is now possible to operate in the root ( /) directory. While uncommon for UNIX users, some Windows users may want to start in the root directory. It is now possible to install C -MOLD and to work in folders whose names contain spaces. This is available on both the UNIX and Windows versions of C -MOLD although spaces in directory and filenames are more common in Windows than in UNIX. Digital Alpha AXP workstations running Windows NT are now supported. I n response to customer requests, C-MOLD has been ported to the Digital Alpha generation series of workstations running the Alpha NT version of Windows. If you want to run C -MOLD on an Alpha NT workstation, please contact your C -MOLD sales and technical sup port office.
Installation procedure
A problem copying your existing key file to the new installation location has been corrected.
Installation Procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guid es you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or to install C-MOLD to a restricted director y. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed Installation Guide has been renamed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide, and is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML
format on the CD or in hard copy format. A printed copy was included with the November general release.
UNIX machines
These instructions will work for the following hardw are platforms: HP 9000, DEC AXP OSF/1, IBM RS6000, Sun SPARC Solaris 2.4 (OS5.4), and SGI (MIPS 1 and MIPS IV). SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only if they are using a machine with an R8000 or higher CPU that is capable of executing MIPS IV i nstructions in 64-bit mode. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer. 2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir , where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD -ROM drive. 3 HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir , where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir , where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 Type ./install , and follow the on-screen instructions. HP users will need to type ./INSTALL\;.
2 Run setup.exe
Cooling Analysis
The default value of the mold wall temperature convergence criterion has been changed from 0.05 to 0.01 percent. This change increases the accuracy of results at the expense of a longer computation time. In some cases, it was note d that only changing the definition of the region normal incorrectly changed the cooling analysis results. Reducing the mold wall temperature convergence criterion reduces this effect. The value of 0.01 percent is a balance between the increased computatio n time and the increased accuracy. To judge the accuracy of the cooling analysis result, you should consider the residual value displayed with the console messages at the end of the cooling analysis. A value of about 0.01 or smaller indicates the results a re accurate. If the residual is greater than that, you may want to halve the mold wall temperature convergence criterion and re -run the cooling analysis. The mold wall temperature convergence criterion is set in the parameter (. par) file.
FEA Interfaces
In Ansys, Patran, and IDEAS interfaces, the default number of polymer entrance nodes has changed from one to zero. This requested change makes it easier to translate a file when the node numbers are unknown. If you don't know the entrance node numbers, when prompted for the number of polymer entrance nodes, just press the Enter key to accept the default value of zero. This will bypass the prompts for the polymer entrance node values. Before running a C -MOLD analysis, you still need to specify the proper polymer entrances. This can be done in the FEA Interface by giving the number of entrance nodes and their labels or using the C -MOLD Modeler to assign the polymer entrances. Moldflow R9 is now available in the FEA Interfaces menu. The FEA Interfaces were enhanced in the 97.3 release to include support for Moldflow R9 files. In the 97.4 release, this support is extended to make the Moldflow R9 to C -MOLD Mesh interface available from the FEA Interfaces menu in the Control Panel and the Modeler. You can also run the mf90fem interface by typing its name at a command prompt.
License Manager
The License Manager -status command has been enhanced to provide information about floating licenses in use. For each floating license in the keyfile, information about the licensed number seats or nodes, how many are currently in use, and how many remain available is displayed. In addition, for licenses in use, the computer system ID and the process ID (PID) using the license is displayed. Note that multiple copies of the same interactive module launched from the Control Panel use a single license and the status report will show only the first process ID that obtained the license for that display. To track down a particular user running C -MOLD you need to determine the machine that matches the system ID and use the UNIX ps -eaf | grep PID command. On Windows machines, use the Task Manager to find the user matching the PID.
error while reading a CVG Modeler geometry file, you can save all the geometry that was read in before the error by immediately using the Save Geometry As function in the File pull-down menu. Then open the geometry data you just saved. Runners, cooling channels, and connectors (1D elements) may still be corrupted because they partially depend on topology information which may be in the corrupted portion of the original CVG file. At this time there is no way to delete thes e corrupted 1D-type elements; however, you can use the Edit Geometry; Move Geometry command to move the corrupted 1D-type elements away from the good portions of your model. Why do the IGES models cause problems in the Modeler? One reason for the duplicat ed points and entities is that many IGES models are originally from solid models. In a solid model, where two faces join, there is a single shared joining boundary curve. In the IGES representation, each face can get its own set of boundary curves. At the boundary between the two faces, there can be two boundary curves occupying the same or nearly the same physical location. The Modeler's internal geometry database does not allow for duplicated points and entities. The current IGES import function does dupl icated point detection and clean up. Duplicated entity detection and clean up is left to the user. From the messages generated by the Merge Points command, find which points can not be merged. Query Geometry on these points to find which entities reference the points and then clean up these entities. In this way, your IGES model will be safely converted.
License Manager
Some users reported that running the License Manager on an IBM workstation, IGES licenses were not being freed after the Modeler process w as killed by the user. This apparently occurred often enough to be a problem, but not enough for easy debugging. Changes to the License Manager to implement the enhanced license status reporting are expected to remove any possibility of this occurring. In any case, the enhanced -status option will make it easier to see where licenses are being used.
Windows versions
C-MOLD Control Panel: When starting a new design, and using the "Use Existing" option to select the mesh, material, and process conditions fi les, and then going to Design Diagnostics directly without first saving your design it was possible to corrupt your mesh, material, or process conditions files. This only happened on Windows, and after you were prompted to save your design and answered the next prompt to overwrite the design file. The problem is corrected in 97.4. However, a problem remains for Exceed 5.1.1 users where the dialogs stack in the incorrect order. In order to save the design you need to dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog. Even though you dismiss the Design Diagnostics dialog, your selection-either Run Now, Run as Batch, or Cancel -will be processed. The workaround is to save your design before entering the Design Diagnostics dialog. C-MOLD Shrinkage and Warpage:
The .slf service loading file output from the Modeler was being incorrectly read by the Windows version of the Shrinkage and Warpage module. Non -zero loads or moments could possibly be interpreted incorrectly leading to incorrect results. The problem is corrected in 97.4. Installation on a Digital Alpha AXP workstation running Windows NT 4.0 failed in the 97.3 release. There is a problem in the InstallShield installation program. The workaround was to perform the installation under Windows NT 3.51 and copy the C MOLD folder to the Windows NT 4.0 machine. With the 97.4 release, this problem has been resolved.
Installation procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 without system administrator assistance in less than ten minutes. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the CD or to install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed Installation Guide has been renamed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide, and is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML format on the CD or in hard copy format. A printed copy was included with the November general release.
UNIX machines
These instructions will work for the following hardware platforms: HP 9000, DEC AXP OSF/1, IBM RS6000 and PowerPC, Sun SPARC Solaris 2.4 (OS5.4), and SGI (MIPS 1 and MIPS IV). SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only if they are using a machine with an R8000 or higher CPU that is capable of executing MIPS IV instructions in 64-bit mode. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer. 2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir , where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD -ROM drive. 3 HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir , where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir , where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 Type ./install , and follow the on-screen instructions. HP users will need to type ./INSTALL\;.
FEA Interfaces
The femchk interface to check C-MOLD-format finite-element mesh (.fem) files has been enhanced to allow for un-ordered nodes and/or elements. When nodes or elements are found to be out of order, they will be renumbered. Consecutively numbered nodes and elements are required for C -MOLD analyses.
was traced to the tightening of the internal tolerance, which caused more points to be identified as duplicates and merged. When these duplicate points were used by other entities yet to be read from the model, merging them could cause the model to become corrupted. The 97.5 incremental release of the Modeler addresses this serious problem with a collection of fixes. Our tests indicate that the 97.5 Modeler can successfully read and save uncorrupted models created by both 96.7 and 97.1 versions of the Modeler. Likewise, tolerance problems with reading IGES and GEO format models are corrected. With these fixes, when the Modeler attempts to read a corrupted model, the information up to the point of damage is successfully read, and you are prompted to save the model immediately. You are then able to reload that model and retain all the uncorrupted information. The model corruption problem is most prevalent when importing large IGES models containing many closely spaced points. However, it can happen on models built entirely within the Modeler. If you have run into corrupted models or often import IGES models, you are encouraged to install and run this incremental release.
Cooling Analysis
A problem in running the fast cooling option of the Cooling simulation has been corrected. In the previous release, the Design Diagnostics analysis launching dialog did not properly set the fast cooling analysis option. Although you could set the option, it was not properly passed to the Cooling module, which then would perform a full simulation. This is now corrected. In the 97.4 release, a new Coolant Flow simulation was shipped. Refer to the C-MOLD 97.4 Release Notes for details. In that release, if the numb er of cooling manifolds (circuits) defined in the process conditions (. prc) file did not match the number of manifolds in the mesh (.fem) file, an error would be generated. This has been revised so that the number of manifolds defined in the mesh is used t o determine if there are enough definitions in the process conditions file. Any extra definitions in the process conditions file are ignored.
Control Panel
Running in the root directory is now possible. Although not common for UNIX users, running in the root directory may be common for PC users. Changes in the Control Panel now allow this.
Installation
On Windows 95 and NT platforms, the 97.4 release would report a missing dynamic link library, MSVCRT.DLL. Microsoft has changed the naming of their DLLs to no longer include the version number in the library name. The workaround was to copy the MSVCRT40.DLL to MSVCRT.DLL. With the 97.5 release, this problem has been resolved.
The System Administrator Guide provides information about how to modify the Cmold application defaults file to use the OpenGL version of the Visualizer by default. The instructions there referred to lines not present in the file. In the 97.5 release, these lines are included in the application defaults file.
Coolant Flow
Attempting to run a Coolant Flow simulation when there are no cooling manifolds (circuits) defined in your model will cause a program error. The workaround is to add cooling manifolds to your model. This limitation will be removed in the next release.
Installation Procedure
This release uses an interactive procedure that guides you through the installation process. Most users will be able to install C -MOLD 97 in less than ten minutes, without system administrator assistance. You may need superuser privileges in order to mount the
CD or to install C-MOLD to a restricted directory. If you run into problems installing the new release, consult your system administrator. The information-packed Installation Guide has been renamed C-MOLD System Administrator Guide, and is intended for use by your system administrator for setting up special configurations and/or troubleshooting system problems. It is available in HTML format on the CD or in hard copy format. A printed copy was included with the November 1996 general release.
UNIX machines
These instructions will work for the following hardware platforms: HP 9000 (tested on HP-UX 9.01 and HP-UX 10.20), DEC AXP OSF/1 (tested on OSF/1.2 and OSF/1.4), IBM RS6000 and PowerPC (tested on AIX 3.2.5 and AIX 4.1), Sun SPARC (tested on Solaris 2.4 and 2.5), and SGI (MIPS 1 and MIPS IV) (tested on IRIX 5.2, 5.3, and 6.1). SGI users should install the MIPS IV version only if they are using a machine with an R8000 or higher CPU that is capable of executing MIPS IV instructions in 64 -bit mode. Typically, newer versions of operating systems are upward compatible. 1 Insert the CD-ROM into the computer. 2 For all but SGI computers, type mkdir cdrom_dir , where cdrom_dir is the directory to which you'd like to mount the CD-ROM drive. 3 HP: type /etc/mount -rt cdfs /dev/dsk/#s0 cdrom_dir , where # is a digit reliant on your hardware configuration. DEC: type mount -t cdfs -o noversion device cdrom_dir , where device is the device name for your particular hardware configuration. IBM: type mount -v cdrfs -r /dev/cd0 cdrom_dir Sun: type mount -F hsfs -r /dev/sr0 cdrom_dir SGI: The mount is done automatically by the media daemon to /CDROM or /cdrom. Substitute the appropriate name ( /CDROM or /cdrom) for cdrom_dir in the subsequent instructions. 4 Type cd cdrom_dir . 5 For all but HP computers, type ./install , and follow the on-screen instructions. HP: type ./INSTALL\;.
This release corrects a sizing problem with the bitmap i mages corresponding to the process being simulated. In the previous release, the bitmap image of the selected process could be partially obscured by the mesh pull -down menu. On Windows NT and Windows 95 systems, the run directories used to store intermedi ate results while the simulations are executing sometimes would not be removed after the Run Now or Batch job had completed. These empty directories were harmless, but they could be confusing and should have been removed. These temporary run directories ar e now properly removed after the simulation is completed.
Cooling Analysis
Attempting to run a Coolant Flow simulation when there were no cooling manifolds (circuits) defined in your model would cause a program error in the previous release. The workaround was either not to run a cooling analysis when you had no cooling manifolds defined, or to add cooling manifolds to your model. The program error no longer occurs. However you do need to have at least one cooling manifold defined in order to run a Cooling simulation.
FEA Interfaces
A problem in translating part runner elements from PATRAN format files has been corrected. The FEA Interfaces are available from the File pull-down menu of the Control Panel and the Modeler.